A Townsend resident, Hurst earned a 3.98 GPA while majoring in graphic design and minoring in illustration at the 165-year-old, all-women's art school in Philadelphia.

By Scott Gossscott.goss@doverpost.com

Samantha Hurst recently was named valedictorian for the Class of 2013 at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia.

A Townsend resident, Hurst earned a 3.98 GPA while majoring in graphic design and minoring in illustration at the 165-year-old, all-women's art school in Philadelphia.

After her May 19 graduation, she hopes to find a graphic design job and dreams of one day owning her own design studio.

Q What's it like to be named valedictorian of your college?

A I'm really honored to be named this year's valedictorian. My family was ecstatic. They knew I was always working hard, and understood when I couldn't come home because there was so much to do. But I think becoming valedictorian really validated the extent of my passion, work ethic, and drive to succeed.

Q What advice would you give other students for achieving their academic goals?

A You are capable of making your dreams a reality. If you don't know how to do something, reach out, get advice, research and listen to your inner voice because it knows what it's talking about. Do your very best in everything that you can, because people will notice and will be able to depend on you. Lastly, never be afraid to make mistakes. Try things, learn from your experiences, and let yourself grow into the person you want to be.

Q Can you talk a little bit about your journey and how it helped you at Moore College?

A My academic journey has been a long and calculated one. Ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be an artist, so when I found out about the visual communications at Polytech High School I had to go, even though it was 45 minutes away from my house. After Polytech, I decided to attend Delaware Technical Community College because I figured I could transfer to art school once I learned a thing or two. Not only did I meet the most amazing people at Delaware Tech, I learned how to question the world, give and receive critiques, trust myself as a designer, and how to be the ultimate creative problem solver.

Because of these experiences, I was prepared for art school in a way that not many others were.

Q What kind of design work do you enjoy the most?

A Although I love all creative challenges, I most enjoy designing and illustrating for children. I've always been inspired by children's books and the incredible imaginations that children possess. For my senior thesis project, I created a three children's travel books, each detailing an individual country for kids to explore.